69传媒

Wow! It鈥檚 difficult to identify ONE piece of classroom management advice that trumps all others, because so many of the keys to successful management overlap. But if there is ONE piece of classroom management advice that I continually give to ALL teachers, new and veteran, it is this: Always appear to be in control of yourself, whether you are feeling that way or not.

Before you can be an effective manager of others, you must possess (and display) the ability to remain in control of yourself! And the single biggest mistake that we, as teachers, repeatedly make is this: We let students know when they get to us! We let them know that we are personally offended, angry, frustrated, or just plain fed up. We reveal our 鈥渂uttons,鈥� and so they push them all year long. You see, it鈥檚 a powerful feeling for a student to feel as though he caused you to stop and stare at him.... Or that he caused you to speak with your teeth clenched... Or that his actions made you stare at the ceiling and take extraordinarily deep breaths... Or that the protruding vein in your neck is the product of his handiwork! Children love to feel powerful, and what better way to feel powerful than to control the emotions of an adult! That鈥檚 why you simply cannot reveal any cracks in your armor.

The best classroom managers never lose their composure. They deal with students calmly and professionally. 69传媒 never succeed in pushing the buttons of these teachers, so there鈥檚 never a struggle for power. The fact is that the more out of control a student becomes, the more in control you must appear. Once a student sees you sweat, the more out of control he will get! So deal with every situation - especially the nerve-racking ones - in a composed, professional manner. Easy to do? No. Effective? Always!

Like your work clothes, your teacher personality should be a professional twist on your current style. Strengths and weaknesses from your personal life will carry over to your teaching whether you want them to or not. So will personality traits. It is important to keep this in mind as you develop your teaching style, because the more natural a classroom system feels to you, the more likely you are to enforce it consistently.

The opposite is also true. If you are not a morning person, it is better to build five minutes of quiet work into your beginning-of-class routine than promise to start each day with a happy class song. If you will feel silly after a while saying, 鈥�1,2,3, all eyes on me,鈥� find a simpler way of calling your students鈥� attention.

Your best bet as a beginning teacher is to start the year serious, mature, and focused on your subject matter. As you get to know your students, channel the parts of yourself that naturally help you teach them. Look for teacher role models who share your strengths and can help you build your style around them. Think of your teacher personality as a shift from your first-name self to your last-name self, not a complete character overhaul.

The most important classroom management strategy is the procedure of how to start class every day or period. Start right and everything else falls into place.

Classroom management consists of the practices and procedures used to manage a classroom so that instruction and learning can take place. A smooth running classroom is based on the ability of a teacher to teach procedures, such as a procedure for sharpening a pencil, asking for help, taking turns talking, heading a paper, working in groups, and dismissal. Eighty to ninety percent of what many teachers consider discipline are not discipline problems; they are the result of a classroom that is run without procedures.

The preeminent procedure found in a well-managed classroom is the appearance of a daily agenda. As soon as the student enters the classroom, there is an agenda posted with the schedule, bellwork (for them to get to work immediately) and the objective (that spells out what they will be doing).

As an example, Christina Shoemaker was on her way to teach her next class when she was stopped in the hallway by a colleague. The conversation ended up lasting about 8 minutes and when she entered her classroom late, she was greeted with a wonderful sight. The students were all at work. She asked them what they were doing and they told her they just went ahead and started class without her! They knew the start of class procedures. To see how Christina manages her classroom with procedures, .

69传媒 gauge a teacher鈥檚 competence by how that teacher exhibits confidence and decisiveness. To measure this, all a student has to do is ask a simple question. 鈥淐an I get a drink of water?鈥� 鈥淐an I go to the bathroom鈥� 鈥淐an I turn this in late?鈥�

When a kid asks you a question like 鈥淐an I go outside the room so I can blow my nose?鈥�, or any other unnecessary question, you鈥檝e got to stop and pretend to consider it for about a second and then you鈥檝e got to look the student in the eye and matter-of-factly say 鈥楴o.鈥� Then, and here鈥檚 the toughest but most important part, you鈥檝e got to turn ninety degrees and walk away.

I call this 鈥淭he 鈥楴o鈥� and turn,鈥� and have performed it thousands of times.

Turning and walking away seems like it would be disrespectful to the student but it is not. They asked a question and you thought about it and answered it. There鈥檚 nothing else to say or do. Compare 鈥淭he 鈥楴o鈥� and turn鈥� to 鈥淭he 鈥楴o鈥� and wait.鈥� Now the kid thinks you鈥檙e waiting for him to persuade you.

It鈥檚 hard to say 鈥楴o鈥� sometimes, but it鈥檚 so important that I鈥檝e devised some tricks that will help you. When a student begins asking a question, you can start mentally preparing to say 鈥楴o.鈥� 鈥淕etting ready to say 鈥楴o.鈥� Getting ready to say 鈥楴o,鈥� I鈥檒l think while the question is being asked. Then, one beat after the question is finished, 鈥楴o,鈥� and turn.